Dallas Stars’ 2025 Free Agents: Who Stays & Who Goes?

So, should the Stars keep him? By all accounts, Benn is beloved in the locker room as a leader and on the ice as well. That being said, his play has dropped considerably, and he was on the fourth line by the end of the postseason. After being close to a point-per-game player for the first decade of his career, his production has dropped off considerably in the last seven seasons, with the exception of a 79-point campaign in 2022-23. However, he is still a pretty darn good fourth liner. If that is in fact where he ends up, I would absolutely bring him back, and it’s safe to assume the Stars feel the same.

There is one concern that I don’t think Nill and company will take into account, but it is worth noting. In the past, not only did Benn lead with the “C” on his jersey, but he led with his body. He was physical and fierce, and dragged his team into the fight. Literally. If an opponent messed with his teammate, they felt his wrath. In recent years, this has been more of a negative than a positive. The Stars have begun to wait for his signal before retaliating and imposing their will physically. Fast-forward to this season, and that’s just not his game anymore. We just witnessed the lack of a physical presence that the Stars had as the playoffs progressed, and there is a feeling that until Benn is there to kickstart the pushback, the players won’t engage. We’ll see how plausible that is, but it’s an interesting thing to keep an eye on.

The 35-year-old captain was drafted 129th overall in 2007 by the Stars, and has scored 399 goals and 956 points in 1,192 regular-season games. In 120 playoff games, Benn has 28 goals and 80 points.

Matt Duchene’s Need for Term Complicates His Future in Dallas

By all accounts, Duchene has loved his time in Dallas, and his play on the ice shows that, at least in the regular season. In two seasons with the Stars, the 34-year-old has 55 goals and 147 points in 162 games. In the playoffs, his production has dried up considerably, which can be said for the majority of this roster, despite winning six rounds in the last three postseasons.

There’s a lot of content out there in which Duchene shares how hurt he was after being bought out by the Nashville Predators after four seasons, and he has said on many occasions how much he enjoys being a part of the Stars. There were many great soundbites from his end-of-season presser, including this quote that shows where he stands on his future in Dallas.

“I believe in this group. It’s a young core of guys and I think our older guys are still playing well and contributing things. There are a lot of good pieces here and hopefully, our group can stay together and have another crack at it.”

In these types of interviews, there can be a lot of butt kissing and players saying the “right” things. But, in the same interview, as you see in Sam Nestler’s tweet below, Duchene did not sugarcoat what he is looking for in his next contract.

Ok, he wants to stay, but can the Stars make that work?

Putting the money aside, Duchene has been a great fit for this club and has found a home on the second line with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. However, at this point in the evolution of this team, whatever they are doing in the regular season is not translating into Stanley Cup success. Making it to the Conference Final three years in a row is an excellent feat, but when you get eliminated each time, the core of the group needs to be reassessed.

Unfortunately, we can’t put the money aside for too long. I like Duchene, and I would love to see him back in Dallas, but the money has to be talked about. He’s coming off a one-year, $3 million contract, and as we saw earlier, he doesn’t want to rock one-year deals anymore.

The reality of the situation is that if they do sign him to a two or three-year deal, committing more than $2 million per year will prove to be tricky. In total, seven players need contracts, either in Dallas or somewhere else, and Mavrik Bourque and Nils Lundkvist are both restricted free agents who will need new deals before training camp. In addition, Marchment, Thomas Harley, and Robertson will need new contracts next summer. Based on his production, Duchene could probably get more than the $3 million he just got, and more term, on the open market. If he really wants to stay here, he’s going to have to choose one: term or money. It’s going to be hard for him to get both.

So, should they keep him? It really does depend on the money. The Stars need to be harder to play against as the playoffs go deeper, and Duchene doesn’t bring that. If losing him means they can bring in a player who does bring that, then that’s the route they should probably go. But if he’s willing to stay longer for less, he would continue to be a great fit.

Mikael Granlund Completes the Finnish Mafia

The case for Granlund’s return needs way fewer words than I have allotted to the previous players that I have mentioned. The Stars should 100% bring Granlund back.

First off, they gave up a first-round pick to get him here, so it would be good for that pick to be worth more than just one playoff run. Additionally, Granlund has fit in really well with the Stars. He found a home on the top line with Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen, which was the only line contributing offensively for the majority of the playoffs. In Game 4 against the Winnipeg Jets, Granlund’s three-goal performance was the type of takeover that you need in the playoffs, and few players have been able to deliver that historically for the Stars.

The money conversation is the same for Granlund as it will be for all of these players, but I think this signing is important. Duchene is a great player, but if the Stars have to choose between the two, Granlund’s chemistry with his Finnish compadres and his recent postseason production are reasons enough to side with Granlund.

Many Other Free-Agent Decisions to Be Made

Like we’ve already alluded to, there are many other decisions to be made. Colin Blackwell, Evgenii Dadonov, Brendan Smith, and Cody Ceci are also UFAs on July 1, and Bourque and Lundkvist are RFAs.

As well as Dadonov played at times this season, it makes sense for him to move on to make room for signing current players long term or bringing in new blood. Blackwell has made a solid identity for himself on the fourth line with Oskar Back and Sam Steel, and sometimes on the third line, and would be able to come back on a relatively cheap price tag. Smith is another cheap option, and while he is technically a defenseman, he has the ability to be moved to forward if needed, which proved useful periodically throughout the season. Ceci, who was acquired in the Granlund trade, seems as good as gone. If Granlund does come back, that departure is easy to live with.

Bourque and Lundkvist are both really good young players who have a ton of upside but still have a lot of growing to do. The Stars don’t have a lot of NHL-ready talent coming from the American Hockey League (AHL), so it would be wise to find a way to bring these players back.

Marchment, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Matt Dumba are three more names to keep an eye on this summer. Marchment and Dumba each have one year left on their deals, while Lyubushkin has two. They will make $11.5 million combined next season and could be moved to create space, depending on how the Stars look to approach it. Marchment is the type of player who could have grit in his game and make the Stars harder to play against in the playoffs, but he has morphed into more of a skill player due to how his current linemates play. Maybe they move him, or maybe they identify this and encourage him to change his role.

The Stars are still smack-dab in the middle of their Stanley Cup window. Yes, they have many great players coming back. However, decisions made this summer will have a massive impact on the ability to keep this group together for the foreseeable future.